Tennis racket



April 3, 1928.

M. REACH TENNIS RACKET Filed July 12. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 gmwntot W170 5; F546,

wmw

April 3, 1928.

M. B. REACH TENNIS RACKET Filed July 12. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 KMWW Patented Apr. 3, 1928. V

UNITED STATES PATENT o FFICE.

HILTON B. REACH, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO A. G. SPALDING & BROS, Q1 NEW YORK, N, Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

TENNIS RACKET.

/ Application filed July 12, 1927. Serial No. 205,1l5.

My said invention relates to improvements 1n tennis rackets of the open throat wood frame type. The tendency under modern fast play conditions is towards a lighter racket which the open throat secures, but the additional flexibilityjmparted thereb to the throat of the racket and the addit onal torque taking place in the handle tend to open up the glued joints and develop splits in the flake.

The present invention aims to provide a construction which will be free from these objections, and it includes the novel features of construction hereinafter described and defined by the appended claims.

In orderthat the invention may be more readily understood, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a racket frame as it appears at one stage of manufacture.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the completed article, partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a section on. line 22 of Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on line 44= of 1, partly broken away."

To complete the oval or head portion of the racket a crescent shaped strip 2-is secured to the bow, extending across the throat. The space left between such strip and the portions 1". of the bow where they leave the strip and merge into the handle has in general practice been filled with a throat piece in the shape; of a solid block, glued to the bow member and crescent she d strip, as attempts to construct a me at without such throat piece have resulted in an articlewhich would not stand in ad 'tional weight and the ensuing undesirab?a rigidity at this point.

the strain of the hence necessitatthe retention of the oat piece with its customary to bend the ash frame and secure the present construction I provide the outside face of the crescent shaped strip 2 with a part or supplemental. member 3 curved to conform to the curvature of the arc-shaped strip, and having its ends beveled to conform to the incline of the portions 1".

Said member 3 is glued to the outer face of the crescent shaped strip 2 and its ends are glued to the inside faces ofthe portions 1". Y

The stringing 4 at this 7 (point passes through both the member 2 an supplemental or reinforcing member 3, and thus amwhile at the same time an open throat is provided in rear of the member 3 which lightens the racket and also reduces rigidity at this point."

'ple support is provided for the stringing,

lihe joints between the members 2 and 3 and the adjacentbow parts are covered by the surfacing and finishing strips 5 which completely overlie these parts and are glued thereto, and these impart additional bracing efl'ect. .The strips 2 and 3 where they cross the throat are of such proportions that the aggregate thickness at this point is substantiallythe same as the side portions at the base of the bow.

Instead of making the part 3 as a separate member glued to the part 2, it may be made integral therewith as shown at 2*, 3

Fig. 5, by making the crescent shaped strip of thicker material and shaping it down to the form shown in said figure.

it have found that the tendency of the glued joint between the handle sections 1" which are of ash, to open up, which occurs when these are glued directly together, may be avoided by interposing therebetween a filler piece 1 of soft wood, as shown in Fig. 1,to opposite sides of which the ash sections 1 are respectively glued. This Ihave found produces a better and more durable glued joint, and when the parts are adhe sively joined under pressure, the softer wood shapes itself to any irregularities in the surfaces of the side sections 1 and gives a better and more durable glued connection. 'For some reason, not entirely clear to me, it has been found in practice to act as a buffer and prevent any split in theflake.

In the manufacture of tennis rackets, it is the parts in the manner shown in Fig. 1, before rounding and finishing the same.

\Vhcre the parts 1 meet in the threat in a very acute angle, such as is formed when the portions 1 are glued directly together without a filler strip, it is a diflicult and costly operation to properly finish the open throat. The interposition of the tiller strip produces suflicient space at the bottom of the throat to enable this to be readily accomplished, the throat terminating in a square abutment formed by the end of the tiller strip instead of an acute angle as heretofore.

As an additional precaution against splitting of the overlying haiidle flake, instead of running this down to a feather edge as heretofore, I terminate it in an abrupt shoulder 1" preferably extending transverse of the; handle, which I cover with a finishing binding indicated at (5.

The flake termination may be of any abrupt formation, as for example, the rounded form, shown more in detail at 1", Fig. 6, or the beveled form shown at 1. Fig. 7.

Instead of having the filler strip 1 of equal thickness throughout and confined to the parallel parts of the handle forming portions 1, it may be widened out or flared at its upper end as indicated at c, Fig. 8 to {itdiverging portions of said handle memers.

The filler strip may be of white pine, cedar, elm or any of the woods which are softer than the ash of which the frame is made. i

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A tennis racket havin a bow portion and integral handle portions, a crescent shaped strip secured to the inner face of the bow and bridging the throat, said crescent shaped piece having a reinforcing member cured to the inner face of the bow and bridg- 1 ing the throat, said crescent shaped piece having a reinforcing member or portion on its outer face within the throat, contacting at its ends with the sides of the bow and leaving the throat open below it, and laminations at opposite sides of the racket overlying the crescentshaped piece, the reinforcement and the arms of the bow, substantially as described.

3. A tennis racket having a bow portion and integral handle portions, a substantially crescent shaped strip secured to the inner face of the bow and bridgin the throat and leaving'thethroat open be ow the strip, a filler strip of softer material than. the handle portions to opposite faces of which filler strip the handle portions are adhesively secured, the end of said filler strip forming a terminus for the 0 en throat.

4. A tennis rac et according to claim 2' provided with flakes overlapping and secured to opposite sides. of the connected handle portions and filler strip, said flakes terminating in abrupt shoulders spaced some distance from the bottom of the open "throat.- In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

I MILTON B. REACH. 

